9 life lessons we learned from baseball

1. GOOD THINGS COME IN SMALL PACKAGES
Need evidence? Well, Phil Rizzuto stood just 5'6" and the shorter Wee Willie Keeler clocked in at 5'4" … and both players are members of the baseball hall of fame. On the flip side, former big league pitcher Eric Hillman stood 6'11" … but his 4-14 career record wasn't enough to get him in the hall.

2. EARLY TO BED, EARLY TO RISE, MAKES A MAN HEALTHY, WEALTHY AND WISE
Although Derek Jeter may disagree.

3. IF YOU WANT SOMETHING DONE RIGHT, DO IT YOURSELF
"If I'm smart enough to save $11 million to buy the team, I ought to be smart enough to manage it."

That's what Ted Turner was thinking when he managed his Atlanta Braves on May 11, 1997. Unfortunately for Turner, he wasn't smart enough to guide them to a win. The Braves lost Turner's sole managerial performance 2-1 to the Pirates in Pittsburgh.

4. CHEATERS NEVER PROSPER
Eight Chicago White Sox players tested this saying in 1919 when they took money in exchange for throwing World Series games. They were eventually caught and banned from baseball for life, proving that cheaters, indeed, never prosper.

5. IF AT FIRST YOU DON'T SUCCEED, TRY, TRY AGAIN
Or in the Dodgers' case, try, try, try, try, again. Yes, the Dodgers lost in the World Series an amazing five times before finally winning one in 1955.

6. ONE MAN'S TRASH IS ANOTHER MAN'S TREASURE
See Yangervis Solarte. The current Yankees starting third baseman spent eight years bouncing around the Twins and Rangers farm systems before finally finding a home in New York. He's currently leading the team in batting.

7. WHAT DOESN'T DESTROY YOU MAKES YOU STRONGER
During Spring Training in 1997, White Sox infielder Robin Ventura suffered one of the ugliest injuries in baseball history when he snapped his right ankle sliding into home. Ventura was expected to miss the entire season, but instead returned in July. In true storybook fashion, Ventura had the game-winning hit in his first game back.